iPod nano cosy

I made this as a "just for the hell of it" gift for my SIL, Vicci (the one who brought me that GORGEOUS yarn that I'm making a scarf from). She got a new blue iPod for Christmas from her boyfriend, and she was moaning to me that she couldn't find "socks" for it. And I just happened to have the perfect thread to match her iPod, so I figured... why the hell not?

I used Aunt Lydia's crochet thread (mercerized cotton), size 10, variegated color "Ocean." It's crocheted in rounds, alternating 11 rounds of sc, 3 rounds of dc, 9 rounds of sc, 3 rounds of dc, and 11 rounds of sc. Very simple.

I got the actual dimensions of the iPod online, thanks to Argos website. I made a chain, measured it, did one round, measured again to make sure, and just went from there until it was the right height. So simple it's not even funny.

I'm considering making more of these and selling them online at Etsy. I'm just waiting for the "experts" at the 'ville to give me some feedback before I make a final decision. Of course, I wouldn't exactly complain if I got some feedback here, either! ;)

WiP Wednesday - January 31, 2007

Well I've had a busy week - unfortunately not a busy CROCHETING week. Life as a domestic goddess can get quite hectic at times. And now that Hubby is in college, it's even worse. Since he's gone from 6:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m., he's not around even to get my oldest off the taxi at the end of the day, so I find myself rushing back and forth between home and the other kids' school. It's crazy.

But I did get some work done on the round ripple I started. And if you'll scroll down, you'll see the fun fur scarf I knitted for Caitlin (9 y.o) last weekend.

Last night I started on one of the final squares I need for the baby granny I'm doing for my friend's granddaughter. I haven't even done 4 rounds of it yet, but hey... a start is a start, right? :)

And I got something nice in the mail today. I posted a request on the 'ville for a copy of the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens' Simply Creative Crochet. It's got a pattern in there for an absolutely gorgeous bell-sleeved tunic sweater that I just HAD to have. But living in the UK, it's almost impossible for me to get on my own. Well, a very kind member, Sherrie (aka krzykajun) sent me a copy - and wouldn't accept anything in return, even though I offered! It arrived today, and after I finished putting my grocery shopping away, I sat here for a good 20 minutes just looking through it. I LOVE it! There are quite a few patterns in there - not just the one I specifically wanted - that I think I'd like to try. I'm so happy I was literally doing the happy dance when I saw what it was!

Hopefully by this time next week I'll be finished with the baby afghans. If not, I hope I'm at least CLOSE to finishing!!

Hope is never a bad thing, right? ;)

Kn*tted Fun Fur Scarf

I just finished this one last night. Actually, I only just STARTED it on Friday night... so it was only a 24-hour project (or thereabouts). It's the 3rd one I've made with the same type and color of fun fur, but this one has turned out the best. Lexi's has stretched out into a NOODLE... and Chloe promptly lost hers at school the first time she wore it! *grrrr!!!*

This one was made on 8 mm needles using one strand of fun fur and one strand of plain white acrylic (dk weight) held together. You can't even see the white acrylic, but it gives it a lot more structure - not to mention thickness.

As you can see in the second picture, she absolutely loves it. :)

I still have one more that I have to make, for Syrina. But if I do it the same way I made this one, it should work up really quickly.

It's really good for a quick project, and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Which is a really good thing, when you consider the other WiPs I have going at the moment seem to be taking for-freaking-ever!!!

WiP Wednesday

I saw this on the 'ville and thought I'd steal it. I like the idea of having one day a week devoted solely to WiPs, and I thought it might help me to make sure I keep this blog updated. Not to mention it'll help me keep it all straight in my head! *lol*


This is the makings of a "baby granny" afghan I'm making. I've been working on it off and on for a while, but I really need to get it done... especially since the baby it's for was born last Saturday!!! You can see the green, yellow, and pink squares, but there are also going to be purple ones. Very girly. :) I actually only have 4 more squares to make before I can start assembling it. The problem is just that I have so many WiPs going at the moment!



And this second picture is that of a round ripple I just started today. I've been wanting to start it for a while, but I wasn't sure if I had enough of the right colors of yarn... so I bought some more today. As you can see, I'm starting it with a very small ball of a peachy-pink color. Since I'm making this for the same baby as the baby granny, I wanted girly colors, and I thought this would go quite nicely. And since it's such a small ball, I thought it would be perfect for the very middle of the 'ghan. I'm also going to add the same shade of pink as in the first picture, and white. I might add some other colors from my stash as I go, but at least I know I have enough pink and white to make a pretty good sized 'ghan. :)

The only other WiP that I'm actively working on at the moment is my "Oh-So-Soft" scarf. But as I just posted a WiP picture of that one the other day, I thought it would be a little redundant to post yet ANOTHER one. So you'll just have to wait until I finish it and see the end result! :-P

Blasts From the Past and Updates

This top one, obviously, is a poncho. It's one I made for my now 9-year old daughter, Caitlin. These are the colors she specifically asked for, but it was my idea to edge it in fun fur. It turned out a bit bigger than I'd thought it would - it fits ME!!! - so I threaded some elastic through the neckhole, and tied it off. When she's wearing it, you can't even see the elastic, so nobody knows the difference! :)

The second one is the baby blanket I crocheted for my youngest, about 4 years ago. Actually, it was meant for my nephew - only everybody thought he was going to be a niece. Even his mother - my sister - thought so. I hadn't made Chloe one at first, because she was born at the end of May. The end of May in Illinois is VERY warm. The last thing she was going to need was a crocheted blanket! So I made this later that year, but when my sister actually HAD the baby and realized it was a boy, I figured Chloe could have this one. (I made another one very similar to this one - but in blue and white - for my nephew).

The second picture is simply a close-up of the stitches on the baby

blanket.

And this last picture is my progress so far on my scarf that I'm making with the "oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft" yarn. :) I've had to frog it 3 times, but I like how it's finally turning out.

I should have it completely finished in a day or two, and I'll definitely be posting pictures then! :)

I LOVE my SIL!!

Lookie what she brought me!!!!

The picture just does NOT do this stuff justice. I call the yarn on the right the oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft yarn. I can't put into words just HOW soft this stuff is!!!

She picked it up from work. She's the Asst. Mgr. for a soft furnishings store, and they were selling kits for knitting a pair of slippers - complete kits. Needles, yarn, the whole "kit & caboodle," so to speak. Well, some lady brought this stuff in, saying she'd bought one of the kits and all it had in it was the yarn. *Yeah, right.* She's the one responsible for making sure that all the stock on the shelves is up-to-date and in good condition. She knows for a fact that there weren't any incomplete kits. But "the customer is always right".... so they had to "write off" this yarn. And since they had to do that anyway... she brought it to me!!!!

I'm lucky, I am. :)

I think I'm going to make a scarf out of it. I'm going to do the body of the scarf in the oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft yarn, and then do the ends in the fun fur. I had thought of doing both together... but that would take away from the softness of the yarn itself, and I don't want to do that. It's too gorgeous for that.

Add another WiP to the list!!!

WIP updates

I don't have any pictures to show, but I thought I'd give an update on what I'm working on right now.

On the hook:

• Baby Granny Square Afghan - I'm not using a set pattern, just making it up as I go along. I'm doing the same kind of squares I used in the Green & White afghan. But I'm making them a LOT smaller, and in baby pastels. The girl I'm doing it for - who happens to be the daughter of the woman I made the green & white afghan for - is supposed to be having a girl, so I'm using pink, purple, yellow, and green. I'm doing 12 squares, and I've already got 7 of them done. I've promised myself to make at least one square a day - and I'm doing good so far - and if I keep up with it, then I should be able to start assembling the afghan Sunday night or Monday, depending on how much time I've got.

On the needles:

• Yes, I said "needles." I'm actually KNITTING something! I'm totally a novice knitter, but my girls asked for fun fur scarves. And I thought they'd look better - not to mention use up less yarn - if they were knitted. The girls really wanted them for Christmas, but I didn't have the money to get the yarn until just 2 days before Christmas. And then my littlest demon - that would be "child" - ruined the first one I started. She pulled it off my needles so she could use them as "drumsticks" while I was in the shower one night. And if you've ever worked with fun fur yarn, you know that frogging it is almost impossible. So I've got an almost-finished scarf that I can't do anything with and can't frog. *sigh* I've got 1 scarf done so far, and I'm nearly finished with another. I need to get some more yarn, though, because I've decided I need 3 balls for Caitlin's scarf... and now it seems my oldest wants one too. Every time I've got it out to work on, she stands there and stares at it. So I've told her I'll make her one too. Thankfully, I get paid in 2 days so I can go and get some more yarn then. I'm hoping I might be able to get hers done quickly, as her birthday is tomorrow! I'm also going to make the 2 little ones matching hats. I saw a pattern for a hat using regular acrylic yarn and fun fur, so I'm going to copy the idea, tweaking it just a bit. More on that when I actually get it done.

And I've got lots of ideas running through my head. I really ought to write them down in one of my crochet notebooks (I have 2 of them).

I'm already planning Christmas presents for next year. Yes, already. Why now, you might ask? Because if I start planning NOW, I just MIGHT actually get them DONE by Christmas! *lol*

For Christmas 2005, I made my aunt Denise a purple shawl with fun fur edging. She says she loves it and uses it all the time in the cold weather (she lives in Colorado). As I was working on the fun fur scarves for my kids, it dawned on me that this aunt would probably love a fun fur scarf for Christmas - in purple, of course! And I can't leave her husband - Uncle Michael - out... so I was thinking "make him a scarf, too!" Obviously not fun fur... that's a little too feminine. But I can always make him a simple scarf in a "manly" color.

And I had the greatest idea this morning for another thing to make with fun fur (can you tell I actually LIKE fun fur? *lol*). A throw rug! I don't want to say too much right now, because it's going to be an original pattern (which I WILL post when I'm done), but it's something I want to make for my daughter's room (the oldest, Syrina). I used to have a "furry" throw rug for my bedroom when I was a teenager, and I loved it. As she's going to be 12 tomorrow, and as I know she likes the fun fur, I think it would be a great (late) birthday present. I have a sneaking suspicion that my other girls are going to want one when they see it, though.

On top of all that, I'm planning a lapghan for my oldest daughter for use when she's in her wheelchair. She doesn't use the chair all the time, but when I need to take her somewhere, she does. She walks just fine, but gets very tired very easily, and when she does, she stops and simply refuses to move. And physically dragging a 12 year old child is VERY difficult. As she REALLY doesn't like the cold, I wanted to make her something to help keep her legs warm when she's in her chair. I've already decided what yarn I want to use, but I'm going to have to order it from the USA. It actually works out cheaper that way - because I can't find any yarn in Worsted Weight out here in the UK. I'd have to buy twice as much in the double knitting to get the thickness I want. And as Red Heart is pretty cheap in the USA, and I know a place that will only charge me $4-something for shipping, buying it online will be the better option. Not to mention they've got some GREAT colors!!

So many yarns... so many patterns... so little time!!! *lol*

Wavy Gravy Rasta Snood

The inspiration for this project was two-fold. For one thing, I wanted something that I could easily work up in one day, and for another, I was tired of looking like a freak. You know the
expression "bad hair day"? EVERY day is a bad hair day for me. I NEVER have a "good hair day". The BEST I can hope for is an "okay" hair day. More often than not, what I have is a "kinda-sorta-almost-okay hair day". If you have atrocious hair like mine, then you'll understand the desperation for something to hide the freak of nature that god decided to crap on my head. (That's what it feels like some days - like God decided to just take a crap on my head. Or mother nature. Whatever. You know what I mean.)

I spent a few hours last night trying to make Dot's Owata Hat pattern. I followed all of her directions, to the letter except that I added one row to it.













But guess what????
.....................................

....................
It's too effing small!!!!!

I was literally in tears once I realized that I had sat here and spent all that time, energy, and yarn on absolutely nothing. (The fact that I was going through nicotine withdrawal at the time didn't help either.)

So I figured I'd try the Wavy Gravy Rasta "Tam" Snood instead. I would have started it as soon as I realized the Owata Hat was too small, but it was past 2 a.m. ... and I thought maybe I should get some sleepSo after breakfast this morning, I pulled out my yarn and hooks and worked this one up. It's not quite as big as I thought it would be, but at least this friggin thing FITS!!!!!

I'm back!

I kind of "disappeared" a few months back... between having the kids home for the summer holidays and 'puter problems, it was just damned near impossible to keep this thing updated properly. But Hubby fixed my puter, and the kids just went back to school (THANK GOD - they were driving me NUTS again), so I thought I'd post up one of the things I crocheted for Christmas.

I didn't think of taking a picture of the red & white ripple afghan I made for my sister-in-law for HER Christmas present. Dammit. It was nice, even if I do say so myself. Even hubby liked it, and he's not all that "interested" in my projects.

But this one... well, not only did I get the picture, but I technically only just gave it to the person this past Sunday (January 7). I didn't have enough supplies (I wasn't following a pattern, just making it up as I went along, so I had no idea how much yarn I would need in the first place), and every time I went to get some more, they didn't have the green I needed. But wouldn't you know it... 2 DAYS before Christmas, they finally had some in. So I got what I needed, but of course I didn't have the time in those 2 days to get it finished. So between cleaning house, killing my kids (JOKE!!), and running them back and forth to various appointments, I managed to at least get it finished by Saturday night.

I also got RAOK'd a few days ago!

These came the same day... Saturday, I think... but I waited until I had a chance to snap a pic before I posted anything about them.

One's a postcard from one of the 'ville members, and another was a nice package from a different member. The package included a bunch of patterns (and one can NEVER have too many patterns!!!!), a nice card, and a crocheted washcloth.

For anybody who doesn't know what an RAOK is... lemme give ya the low-down.

RAOK stands for Random Acts of Kindness. Over at the 'ville, we can put wish lists up, and anybody who wants to can spontaneously grant someone's wish... just because. Just because they want to, just because they can. I've been RAOK'd a few times now. Just little stuff, but you'd be amazed the effect a few free patterns that someone collected from a store and took the time to send to a person can do. It's the realization that somebody thought of you that day, and the excitement of "oooh... what'd I get???" It doesn't matter WHAT you got, you're just happy that you got SOMEthing.

It just brightens your day.

Swap Swap Swappity Swap!!!

I got my swap items today!!!! Yay me!

Actually, they came first thing in the morning. I'd thought it was my daughter's taxi to school - she did too; she was hanging by the front door waiting to go out - but it was Postman Pat with my box.

I was so excited I took it in my room, put it on the bed, and just pet the box for a while. Yeah, but I'm NOT kidding.

My swap partner absolutely spoiled me. If you click on the picture, you'll see everything she sent me - I even labelled it all. (Yeah, I know... could I BE any more geeky? )

I already used the purse. I immediately took the most important things out of the purse I was already using (wallet, keys, cell phone), and tossed it in my new GORGEOUS FELTED PURSE and took it out with me. The people who have noticed it have made some nice comments, and my neighbors even thought it was something *I* made. But I was gleefully honest. "Nope, *I* didn't make it, but somebody made it FOR me!!!!" All said with a HUGE grin on my face.

Now I really feel like a shit because I haven't even sent hers out yet. But I CAN'T send them out yet because - as my mechanic father would say - I'm waiting on some parts. Seriously, I've ordered something online - something absolutely vital for this particular item - for something I'm making for her, and it hasn't arrived yet. BUT, I do expect it pretty much any day now, so hopefully it won't be long. I don't like feeling like a shit.

Super Soap Saver

If you're Polish (like me) and you're reading this, it's going to make perfect sense. Anybody else might think I've gone crackers, but believe me... it's a serious problem.

Little bits of soap. You Polish people KNOW that you can't just throw away the little bits of soap! You can still use them!!!! But how? You try to use them and they just slip right out of your hand. You try sticking a bunch of them together and they just come apart when you try to use them. What do you do?

Well, if you're Polish and know how to crochet AND have a bit of cotton yarn at your disposal... you crochet the Super Soap Saver!!!

And let me tell you people, the Super Soap Saver is SUPER EASY!!!


SUPER SOAP SAVER

Materials Used: small amount cotton yarn
Size G hook

Chain 15, turn

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: sc in each st across. Ch 3, turn.
Row 3: dc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 4 - 34: sc in each st across. Ch 3, turn.
Row 35: dc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 36: sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 37: sc in each st across. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Fold the material in half (right side together) so that the rows of dc line up. Use your preferred method to close up the sides (I sc'd up both sides - I hate sewing, and it was faster.) Weave in your ends. Turn the material right-side out.

Chain any amount of stitches - make it however long you want, and then fasten it off. Weave it through the dc stitches to make a drawstring. (I used 2, and weaved them in opposite directions.) Put your little bits of soap in, close your drawstring, and there you go!

Lexi's Water Bottle Caddy

This, like a lot of people's projects, came out of a need. A need for my 5-year old daughter to have some way to carry her water bottle back and forth to school by herself. She's a lazy little $#!t, and was always begging either me or her 9-year old sister to carry it for her (because it wouldn't fit in her book bag).

One night a few weeks ago, I couldn't sleep due to some pain I was in (abcess in my mouth), so I grabbed a ball of cotton twine I'd bought for the accessories swap (more on that on a later date) and whipped this up.

It's very simple. I just crocheted into a circle, making it big enough to cover the bottom of the water bottle, and then crocheted up, alternating dc rows and dc-ch 1 rows as I saw fit, adding a couple of sc rows to the top. I actually crocheted the strap into the top row, so there was nothing to attach later.

It's proven so popular that one of her teachers even said that I should make a bunch of them and sell them, because SHE'D buy one!

If anybody's interested in explicit pattern directions, let me know. I don't have it on me right now (because she's got it at school WITH her!!), but I can easily write a pattern down if anybody wants one.

Chopsticks Holder

Do you, like me, have chopsticks rattling around in your silverware or utensil drawer? Do you have to sift through chopsticks, recipes you meant to file away, can openers, rolling pins, and assorted kitchen tools to find what you're looking for? Ever wonder what the heck you could do with those chopsticks to keep them together and keep them relatively clean?

Well I did!!!

And inspiration hit me... make a caddy!!

So I did!




It's really easy to make, too... so here's the pattern that I used.

Chopsticks Caddy

Materials Used:
a few ounces DK yarn in 2 colors (of course you could make it all in one color, but I was using up scrap yarn and didn't have enough of one color to complete the whole thing)
Size G hook

Side 1

Chain 15
Row 1: hdc in 2nd ch from hook. hdc in each st across. (13 stitches) Ch 2, turn.
Row 2 - 41: same as Row 1.
Row 42: hdc in each st across, ch 3, turn.
Row 43: dc in each st across. ch 2, turn.
Row 44: hdc in each st across. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Side 2

Same as Side 1.

• Place both sides together, right sides facing each other.
• Use your preferred method of joining - whipstitch, slip stitch, single crochet... whichever you like, use it. Close up 3 sides, leaving the end with the dc stitches at the top open.
• Make a long chain to use as a tie. Weave it through the dc stitches.
• Put your chopsticks in, close, and the next time you get yourself a yummy chinese take-out, you won't have to go sifting through the drawer for the chopsticks!!

Now don't YOU feel clever?

Bad, Suzi, BAD!!

I bet some of you are wondering why I haven’t updated this in a week.

It’s a good answer.

I finally got re-started on my sister’s blanket!!!! I was going to do a pillowghan, but I started out wrong, so rather than have to frog it AGAIN, I've decided it’s just a regular afghan. But I completely changed the way I was combining the colors, and I like it a LOT better. I really think she’s going to like it.

I’m not going to show pics, because I gave said sister the URL for this blog, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise, should she be checking up on me.

But I’ve decided that I absolutely HAVE to work on this thing at least a little bit every day (even if it's only 5 or 10 minutes), and this way I’ll be sure to have it done by November, which is when I plan on sending it. I’m also putting in a few goodies, which I haven’t actually GOT yet, so it gives me time to get that done as well.

My swap partner’s items are on hold right now… I skipped over beading (I might still do that, but wanted to get this other thing done first) to make something I’ve never done before. But it seemed easier than beading, so it was a better choice for me. But I’ve temporarily run out of supplies. I haven’t been able to get into town to get any more this week, because I’ve had one kid home sick all week.

That’s WHY I’ve re-started on my sister’s afghan. I already have the yarn for it – I’m just frogging my first attempt and using the yarn again.

Oh yeah, and I’m doing something with said afghan which is another thing I’ve never done before. I don’t know WHY I’ve never done it before, because it’s usually one of the first things people learning crochet actually DO. But somehow I just skipped right over that part of learning. And since I’ve got so much experience with all of these stitches already, it was a breeze. I was even amazed to find out that my gauge is RIGHT ON!! I’ve NEVER had that happen before... well… the times I’ve checked, anyway. A lot of times I do projects where I don’t really care if my gauge is off – things like blankets and washcloths and such.

I’m glad I finally GOT it re-started, though. Redoing it the way I AM redoing it has actually inspired me! I’ve got a mental list of the other things I’m sending, along with full-color Panavision mental pictures.

I should have done this a long time ago. I think it was just the disappointment I felt when I realized I’d made a mistake that put me in a funk about the whole thing. For a long time, every time I looked at it, I just turned my nose up at it, seeing nothing but that mistake.

But now I’m back where I started. With enough yarn, a hook, and renewed inspiration.

It’s a lovely feeling.